The number of computer applications used by large corporations has increased significantly over the past thirty years. For example, companies may employ separate applications for electronic mail, document control, financial applications, inventory management, manufacturing control and engineering functions, in addition to overall network access. Each application often requires a separate login procedure (including some form of personal identification such as a user ID, a password, a key sequence or biometric authentication) and other routine responses to screens, forms and messages during the initiation and/or operation of the application.
One approach to addressing the proliferation of user authentication credentials is to provide a single-sign-on application (either client-based or residing on a server) to which a user is authenticated by means of a unique credential (e.g., a biometric scan). Once the single credential is authenticated, IDs and passwords for various other applications are then provided to the client machine and used to access the individual applications. However, as programs are added to the user's application suite or application workflows are changed, new screens and input fields are introduced and various system configurations must be changed accordingly. Furthermore, many applications require a user to provide numerous, often repetitive inputs (in the form of data, mouse clicks, or keystrokes, for example) to complete simple tasks and navigate through an application.
In addition to the repetitive nature of user authentication, many operational tasks within applications require a user to repeat the same steps for many transactions. For example, a call-center application may require a user to confirm a caller's account number, recall recent account history, and retrieve text regarding current promotions deemed relevant to that caller. Each process may require the user to select a particular button, enter user data (e.g., an account number, a zip code, etc.) and request text messages from a server. Each of these steps requires additional time and introduces opportunities for error, thus increasing costs.
What is needed, therefore, are systems and techniques for facilitating the central management of user authentication, access, and computer system usage that can easily accommodate the introduction of new computer applications into a large computing environment and automate many of the redundant tasks associated with operating the applications.